


Sweeter Than Chocolate

by Holly (spaciousbear)



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Lingerie, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-25 09:57:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17723006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaciousbear/pseuds/Holly
Summary: Ash and Eiji try to find the perfect ways to surprise each other on Valentine's Day. Things don't always go exactly as planned.Written for the Banana Fish Valentine's Day Exchange.





	Sweeter Than Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TrashAYfanfiction](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashAYfanfiction/gifts).



> Happy Valentine's Day! I loved your prompts for Ash and Eiji and I tried to incorporate everything I could. I had a lot of fun writing with them, so I hope you have fun reading it!

Something was burning, that much Ash knew. He hastened his pace down the hallway of the apartment complex, a sense of dread bubbling in his chest. Something was wrong and he needed to know that Eiji was all right.

He was familiar with a lot of the shades of unpleasant burnt scents - the incidental cigarette burn against upholstery, the more purposeful cigarette burn against flesh. Smoking gunpowder, and yes, the aftermath of an actual burning building incinerating around him.

As he approached the door to the condo where Eiji had spent most of the day by himself, he knew for a fact that it was coming from inside their own unit, but he couldn’t imagine it being any one of those causes. This almost smelled sweet. His mind indexed the array of sweet-smelling toxins, poisons, or otherwise harmful fumes he knew of, but he cut himself off before he got too carried away.

Instead, he threw open the door and the scent hit him fully - he coughed and followed the smell with renewed urgency to its logical source. Ash took note immediately - Eiji was okay, he looked perfectly safe, and he was standing in the kitchen, flustered, his brow furrowed as he fretted over a pot of something, _something_ that was producing that sugary burnt smell. Around him, there was a cluster of utensils and tools Ash had never seen before cluttering the counter, and whatever had been on the stove had apparently bubbled over and spilled onto its surface. It had also spilled, or splattered, onto Eiji, whose hands, apron, and sleeves were spotted with the substance. When he heard Ash approach, he gave a sad, apologetic shake of his head.

“I didn’t know you would be back yet. I have not had a chance to make a new batch,” Eiji confessed as though Ash already knew what was happening. At least the smoke alarm hadn’t gone off, Ash mused to himself. The last thing they needed was to draw _that_ kind of attention.

“What exactly happened here? What is that?” He pointed to the pan which Eiji removed from the stove and placed into the sink.

“It was supposed to be chocolate,” Eiji admitted with a miserable sigh of humiliation.

“Uh… what is it now?” Ash quirked a teasing eyebrow and Eiji’s face darkened into frustrated annoyance.

“Disappointing. I tried to do too many things at once and left it melting for too long.”

Ash twisted his smirk into a comforting smile as he peered over his shoulder at the pot Eiji had been fretting over.

“I’m just surprised. You’re usually a really good cook.” To this, Eiji furiously shook his head.

“Cooking is easy - you can just tell when things are done by how they look or taste. Making chocolates is difficult. You have to be very precise. And it takes a long time to convert American measurements.”

“Huh, so there’s a science to it,” Ash said, looking between the burnt pan and Eiji’s pouting expression. “Can I help?”

“It wouldn’t be the same if you were helping make them.”

“Why not?” Ash asked, the exclusion inciting a little bit of defiance.

“Ah, well, they were supposed to be for you. In Japan, it’s a tradition to make chocolates for people on Valentine’s day. For friends, family… for the person you like.” Eiji’s face was a stark pink and Ash softened a bit at how flustered he seemed.

“Well I don’t think there’s a chance of me making this any worse - you already look like you’ve been rolling around in mud.” Ash laughed as Eiji’s scowl grew even more tense. “Let’s just start fresh. You can get cleaned up and we’ll see how much of a mess I can make of things.”

While Eiji left to wash and change, Ash read over the directions, took precise measurements, kept a watchful eye on the temperature. It was complicated but didn’t seem too difficult. Then again, Eiji had already taken care of all the preparation work for him. If Ash would have to make a guess about how to make chocolate, he’d have figured melting a bag of Hershey’s would do the trick just fine - not a multi-step process from scratch. Of course, Eiji never did anything without taking immense care with it. Ash could imagine him, chatting with the neighbors about their plans, asking for a recipe and recommendations on their favorite brands of chocolate. Ash could read the directions just fine but it was the kind of care Eiji put into everything he did that made the difference.

He could feel eyes on him, but the feeling didn’t give him the familiar tug of defensiveness it normally would when he was being watched. He looked up to meet Eiji’s eyes which were warm with fondness.

“You are a natural,” Eiji said, in fresh clothes and his smile bright now that he had recovered from the earlier incident. Ash shrugged as he continued to stir the concoction in front of him.  
Eiji walked over to join him at his side, taking a closer look at the progress the candy was making. “Do you think it is almost ready?”

“Yeah, we should be able to pour them now.”

“Good - you will at least let me decorate them?” It was a question, but Eiji’s expression made it clear that this wasn’t up for debate. “You have already helped too much.”

Ash didn’t attempt to oppose him and took a step back to allow Eiji to begin the process of pouring the chocolate into their small, ornate molds. As the first batch cooled, Eiji went about decorating them. His hands moved with a delicate and fluid motion, far more confident now that the worst part was over. With a small tube of icing, he drew the smooth lines of a Japanese character. Ash wasn’t sure what it meant, wasn’t sure if he was supposed to ask, but he enjoyed watching Eiji write it and so remained still until he finished.

“You’re really good at this,” Ash noted as he watched him work.

“I’ve decorated Valentine’s day chocolates before,” Eiji said. He gave Ash a knowing smile when he saw Ash raise a curious eyebrow at the admission, then continued. “I helped my sister make some as a surprise for a boy she liked once.”

“What a good big brother you are,” Ash’s voice teased out the words slowly. “Did it work out for her?”

“Of course, he was a very nice boy,” Eiji laughed. “Otherwise, her big brother would not have helped her.”

Eiji continued in silence for a few moments and it occurred to Ash in the comfortable quiet that he had never been conscious of days like this before. February 14 was just a day, like any other, and the fact that Eiji had gone out of his way to make it special actually _did_ feel nice. Eiji must have noticed something in his silence because he looked up with a gentle smile.

“Are you bored?”

“No. I just feel bad that I have nothing to give you.” There was a thoughtful pause.

“You came home safe again today,” Eiji said. “That is all I will ever ask of you.”

The words in Ash’s mouth dried up and he looked down, filled with a complicated mix of gratitude and quiet apology. Before he could decide how to respond, Eiji was reaching out towards him, a small morsel of chocolate between his fingers.

“It's finished, try one!”

Ash opened his mouth a little as Eiji enthusiastically pressed the chocolate past his lips. Ash bit down into the candy, and he wasn’t sure if it was the effort they had put into making these or the brush of Eiji’s fingers against his lip as he fed it to Ash, but it seemed right then to be sweeter than anything he’d tasted before.

“Good?”

“It’s perfect.” Ash savored it as he looked around at all of the ingredients strewn across the kitchen countertop. “Where did you get all of this anyway?”

“I ordered some online, they did not have everything I needed close by. That reminds me - because it was for Valentine’s day, it came with an extra item. I think it is a kind of 'mystery gift'. It is on the table, you can have that too.”

Ash paused, hesitant, but Eiji shook his head before he could even speak. 

“I want you to enjoy this. Go take a look, okay?”

Ash did as Eiji asked, he picked up the package as he retreated to the bedroom to change out of his own sugary, soiled clothing. He scoffed in amusement at the pink wrapping, the heart-shaped tag it had come with. As soon as he reached the bedroom he ripped open the packaging carefully, curious as to its contents. Then he stopped and stared at the item in front of him.

“Eiji, did you actually see what was in this extra gift?” he called out through the doorway.

“Hmm? No, it was already wrapped when it arrived. I hope it is something nice?”

“Hold on… give me just a minute and I’ll show you.” Ash shut the door and after a minute of silence on the other side, he heard Eiji’s voice, muffled, speaking to him through it.

“Ash? What are you doing in there?”

Ash pulled the garment out of its package and examined it.

“Trying it on.”

* * *

  
When Ash opened the door and walked back out to the kitchen, Eiji had his back turned, already beginning to clean the mess they’d made there. Ash approached him with caution, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I think you’re due for a break,” Ash whispered next to his ear, his voice a low, gentle purr he rarely used.

Eiji turned and his expression shifted as soon as he saw Ash, blank with shock. Ash took a step back, his hand placed delicately on his hip which jutted out, _just_ enough. It had its intended effect.

“I…” Eiji began and then stopped mid-sentence. Without an alternative, he simply pointed to what Ash was wearing until he could find his words again. “What is that?”

Ash had initially been surprised that the cheap, gaudy corset fit at all. More so that he didn’t mind the cute little red hearts that decorated the black satiny fabric that comprised it. The corset cinched just above his hips, and the matching black stockings were fastened to it with a set of garters, accentuating the line of his thighs. And judging from Eiji’s reaction, he’d had no idea what he was getting himself into.

“It’s the special Valentine’s day gift you got me, Eiji.” Ash took a step back to turn in a slow rotation and added a winking flourish to the end for good measure. He watched as Eiji tried to look anywhere but at the clothing he was wearing, his eyes darting from the ground to his face as his cheeks reddened.

“Ash, no! I didn’t know that would be… I’m so sorry. You don’t have to wear that. Oh god, take that off…”

“You want me to take it off so soon?” Ash asked, exaggerating the feigned innocence in his voice as he toyed with the top clasp holding the corset closed.

“Ash!” Eiji was covering his face now, and Ash couldn’t help but break a little as a fond chuckle slipped through. He reached forward to pry Eiji’s hands away from his scarlet face and kept them secured in his own for a moment. Ash noticed, just then, that there was a small streak of chocolate smeared on Eiji’s cheek, where he must have touched his face while he was cleaning up. Ash let out a soft laugh and released Eiji’s hands to reach over and touch his cheek in that exact spot.

“You aren’t going to say anything?” he cooed.

After a stretch of hesitation, Eiji finally looked, his eyes trailing from the ground up to survey Ash's figure. The flush in his cheeks didn’t fade, but once he met Ash’s eyes, an understanding smile of shared mischief began to materialize between them.

“The hearts… are a very good look for you,” Eiji said, his voice settling into a husky whisper.

“Well, I wanted to surprise someone I like for Valentine’s day. Thanks for your help, big brother.” Ash pulled his hand back from Eiji’s face and brought his finger to his lips, sucking a small amount of the remnant chocolate off of his fingertip. With his free hand, he let a finger trail down Eiji’s other cheek until it found its way just under his chin. It curled underneath the soft flesh and he lifted Eiji’s chin upward as he leaned forward. Eiji gave no resistance to the soft, pliant press of lips. His kiss tasted sweet, like a piece of chocolate to be savored and consumed. 

By the time he pulled back, Eiji was leaning against him for support and his eyes were heavy with a want that didn’t feel invasive or expectant. Eyes that were asking permission for that want. Ash gave him a coy, teasing smile and tugged at the hem of his shirt as he began to step backward towards the bedroom.

Eiji didn’t need to be told to follow.

* * *

  
Ash woke to the gentle warmth of the sunshine against his face, streaming in through the window. For a moment, he was untethered from reality, his mind adrift somewhere between a pleasant dream and the memory of the soft touches and quiet moans during the night.

He wondered if Eiji was already up and about, making them a healthy breakfast to offset their many indulgences the day prior. The kitchen was still a mess, of course, from the chocolate. The bedroom floor was a chaotic sight of strewn clothing and the discarded lingerie. He could imagine it before even opening his eyes.

When he did open them, he saw, instead, Eiji sleeping peacefully next to him, light creating a golden sheen over the exposed curve of his back. A swell of heat surged in his chest, a soothing presence that let him move, silent and half asleep, closer. Eiji moved as well, turned to his side and reached over to Ash as though by instinct alone. Ash allowed himself to be enveloped in that warmth and closed his eyes again.

The kitchen would get cleaned eventually, the bedroom too. The world outside would continue to turn and its problems would wait for them outside of the docile comfort of this bed.

For now, everything was perfect.


End file.
